Yesterday was our best day yet, we recruited an entire club's worth of members.
Unfortunately, we can't stop at five. Or rather... We can't stop at eight. We need two more members to restart this club.
AKI: "Well everyone, only two members left to go. I want us all to share information on any promising girls as well as information on where Setsuna might be."
KASUMI: "You're really focused on recruiting Setsuna, aren't you Senpai?"
AKI: "Well, of course. Who wouldn't want an established professional to join a club?"
RINA: "No one I asked knew where Setsuna was."
AI: "Yeah, I asked everyone I could and got squat. This is a tough one!"
AKI: "It feels like she doesn't even exist. Where could she be?"
KANATA: "Looks like we'll have to make a School Idol Setsuna Yuki Search Team."
AKI: "Great idea! We can begin searching right away."
AYUMU: "...Er... And what does that entail?"
KANATA: "We form an official search team and gather up eyewitness information from all over the school."
SHIZUKU: "That's...a little melodramatic."
RINA: "But it sounds fun, Rina-chan board says 'Woo hoo'."
KANATA: "Kanata thinks that this is what'll take to find Setsuna."
AKI: "Finding Setsuna sounds like it could be tough. We don't have much time left before the end of the month either..."
KASUMI: "Are we going to give up?"
AKI: "Of course not!"
EMMA: "No third year knows her, either. What year is she, again?"
AI: "Well, she was famous from flying solo already, so there's no way she's a first year student, right?"
KARIN: "Nijigasaki Academy is a really big school. We have a middle and high school... So I think we'll have a lot of trouble if we don't have a lead."
RINA: "But no one we've asked has seen her anywhere. Rina-chan board says 'Hmmm...'."
KARIN: "Yeah..."
KASUMI: "Hey, Senpai... What if maybe...and this is a BIG maybe. What if MAYBE this is all a trap on the President's part?!"
AKI: "What...?"
AI: "A trap?!"
AYUMU: "What are you talking about, Kasumi?"
KASUMI: "Like, what if she kidnapped Setsuna so we'd waste all our time looking for her? Because I mean, it all seems a little strange doesn't it? You only really need five people at a minimum to run a club!"
AKI: "I'm sorry Kasumi... But that has to be one of the stu-"
KARIN: "...You're right Kasumi. This should already be enough people to run a club, easy. That's what the rules say, too."
AI: "How about we try negotiating with her?"
AKI: "THIS ISN'T A HOSTAGE SITUATION!"
AYUMU: "Aki?!"
AKI: "But... We made a promise with the president. I'm a man of my word and I want to keep that promise."
KASUMI: "But Senpai..."
AKI: "Once you start this school idol thing, you're going to face way tougher challenges. I want you to do your best now, so you can get to where you need to be."
SHIZUKU: "Are you sure, Senpai?"
AKI: "I'm sure Shizuku, and don't worry. Since you're doing what you love, this is going to go really well. We will all find Setsuna by the time limit. And I'm sure that she will come back to the club."
AYUMU: "Aki...You really love school idols, don't you?"
AKI: "Well, don't we all Ayu?"
EMMA: "You know, you're right Akihiko. Let's look for Setsuna."
KARIN: "Yeah, let's give it a shot."
SHIZUKU: "Sure!"
RINA: "Rina-chan Board says, 'Let's do this!'."
AI: "We've got until the end of the month, so let's give it our best!"
NANA: "Just as I thought! I knew you would do your best to gather up ten members and revive the club!"
AKI: "Huh? Um......What?"
KASUMI: "P-President Nakagawa?"
KANATA: "Zzzzzz....Huh? Wait, why is the president here? Wh-What's going on?"
The president had just invaded the School Idol Clubroom. And ten members? We haven't assembles ten members? Did...Did the president go crazy due to work stress? Or is she just here to say we've done enough?
Either way... Nobody knew what to say. That was until what happened next. It's something that nobody could have ever predicted.
NANA: "Ahh, nuts, I did it again! I forgot to turn off student president mode!"
AKI: "Student...president mode? W-Wait, Nakagawa... Was Kasumi right?! Are you a robot?!"
NANA: "I'm not."
In that case, if she's not a robot then there's only one explaination... The President has gone crazy.
NANA: "But who I am... Is Setsuna Yuki."
Huh?
AKI: "Wait...WHAT?!"
SETSUNA: "Now do you believe me?"
EVERYONE: "HUH?!"
KASUMI: "S-Setsuna!"
EMMA: "Sh-She really is Setsuna!"
SHIZUKU: "N-No way. I can't believe that Setsuna was the student council president this entire time!"
KARIN: "Wait... You saw her at assemblies but you didn't recognize her? Even though you used to work together?"
SHIZUKU: "I'm shocked that I couldn't recognize her."
KASUMI: "You're the student council president and a school idol at the same time? Th-That's no fair. And I can't believe that I called you a robot, Setsuna. You're the complete opposite of a robot!"
SETSUNA: "Haha, well... I was pretty mean to you, so you shouldn't worry about that. I'm the one who should apologize to you, Kasumi."
KASUMI: *Whine* "Setsunaaa!"
SETSUNA: "Wh-Whoa!"
KASUMI: "B-But why'd you tell us to do something as tough as getting ten members? Y-You didn't want the club to get disbanded either, right?!"
SETSUNA: "I wanted to keep it going, but... I was afraid. Since I'm the one who brought us this low."
SHIZUKU: "No one thinks it's your fault, Setsuna!"
SETSUNA: "No, it is my fault. I loved school idols so much that I couldn't contain it. I wanted to share those feelings with everyone, so I pushed so much onto you girls."
Couldn't contain it? Pushed so much? I see now...
SETSUNA: "I knew it wasn't right, but I couldn't help myself. And I was really afraid that would distance me from all of you."
AKI: "You were watching all of us. Whilst playing it off as coincidence, right? The theater, and you... You were the one that was outside the clubroom, right?"
SETSUNA: "...Right."
AKI: "Doesn't that mean you want to start things over?"
SETSUNA: "I figure that... If you were passionate enough to gather ten people, that it might actually work this time. Haha, pretty selfish of me..."
AKI: "Not at all! And hear us out: We thought up a new way of doing things for the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club! A new model to follow."
SETSUNA: "?"
KARIN: "Why are you looking at me for? He came up with the idea."
EMMA: "Yeah, I think it'll really work out for us!"
KASUMI: "That's right!"
KANATA: "Zzzzz....Huh? Setsuna's back?! Why is she in the President's clothes? Wait... The president is Setsuna?!"
SETSUNA: *Giggle* "It's been a while Kanata, I'm glad to see that you came back to the club."
KASUMI: "So...you'll come back too, right Setsuna?"
SHIZUKU: "Look at how many idol hopefuls we have! Please... Join our new idol club, Setsuna!"
SETSUNA: "Girls... But, I'm a little worried though. What if I start again, and my love of idols just goes wild again?"
AKI: "Don't worry! Show all of that love and let fans like me use it to cheer you and everyone else on! Because... Look around you. Everyone here loves school idols, too! You're among friends here Setsuna!"
SETSUNA: "Thank you! Thank you so much! Please, let me officially join the school idol club!"
AKI: "Well, Kasumi it's up to you."
KASUMI: "Of course you can join Setsuna! We want you here with us!"
AKI: "Then it's settled! The club now has nine members, including the Student Council President!"
SETSUNA: "And you don't have to worry about the ten member limit anymore. I'm really sorry I put that pressure on you Akihiko."
AKI: "Don't be sorry, I'm the one who should be sorry. Because it's not over yet."
SETSUNA: "Huh?"
AKI: "I made a promise to you, that the School Idol Club would have ten active members by the end of the month. The club has nine and it feels like we will find its tenth member really soon!"
SETSUNA: "I was saying you don't need to worry. Because the club has already found its tenth member."
AKI: "Wait... You've found someone?!"
SETSUNA: "I have, everyone here should know who it is too."
AYUMU: "Yeah!"
KARIN: "Everyone knows, right?"
AI: "You're the only one who hasn't figured it out yet."
RINA: "You're being quite dense Aki-Senpai."
EMMA: "You really can't tell?"
KANATA: "Even Kanata can tell, and she's still half asleeeeep...."
SHIZUKU: "Who's the one who brought us all together?"
KASUMI: "The person who was so nervous on the first day that HE dashed the opposite direction of the student council room!"
AKI: "...Huh?! B-But-"
SETSUNA: "I told you to get ten members for the school idol club, but I never specified that those members had to be school idols."
AKI: "Huh?"
SETSUNA: "I'm looking tight at our tenth member."
EVERYONE: "It's you!"
AKI: "Wait...ME?!"
SETSUNA: "So what do you say? Akihiko Suzuki, will you join our new School Idol Club?"
AKI: "You really give a compelling arguement. Very well, I ACCEPT!"
KASUMI: "Yay Senpai! Now the School Idol Club is officially back in business!"
AKI: "Everyone... Thank you so much! I will do the best I can to cheer you all on!"
SETSUNA: "You won't just be cheering us on Akihiko."
AKI: "Huh?"
SETSUNA: "There is just one thing I wish to ask of you. Since the club has restarted, we don't have an active leader... As the former leader of the former School Idol Club, I want to ask you to lead the new one!"
AKI: "Huh?! Me?! But I'm not a school idol for obvi-"
SETSUNA: "You're the one who brought us all together and injected life into this club once more. If you're at the center, I'm sure it'll work out this time!"
AYUMU: "I'm all for that idea! I mean, you're the one who got us into this Aki!"
SHIZUKU: "I think it's a good idea, too! Without you Senpai, I don't think I would have been able to be so honest about wanting to return."
KANATA: "Yeah, if Kanata didn't meet you, those tests would have destroyed her."
AI: "No one's got any objections, right?!"
EVERYONE: "Right!"
SETSUNA: "...Well, how about it?"
AKI: "A School Idol Manager... It sounds incredible. Very well! I-I promise to always be on your side, everyone, no matter what happens! I'll cheer you on with everything I've got!"
KARIN: "All right, Chief, what's the first thing our club's going to do?"
AKI: "Haha... Well, if we're going to aim. Then we are going to aim HIGH! We are going for..."
RINA: "Going for what?"
AKI: "...THE SCHOOL IDOL FESTIVAL!"
EVERYONE: "THE WHAT?!"
AYUMU: "TH-THAT'S what we're starting with?!"
AKI: "Well, it may seem ludicrous. But that's where ALL of the school idol fans gather, right? It's like a school idol culture festival!"
RINA: "Such a big event...Rina-chan Board says 'Scary'."
SETSUNA: "It's the second biggest school idol event in the world, second to the 'Love Live! Finals' of course."
AKI: "I want us to be in the School Idol Festival as Nijigasaki High School's own School Idols!"
EMMA: "Y-You really think we can pull it off?"
AI: "Aim for the top, right? That gets me going! My soul's on fire now!"
KARIN: "Ai's right, it's a pretty big target. But that just makes it all the more worth overcoming!"
AYUMU: "W-Well... If you say so, I'll do my best!"
KANATA: "This is no time for napping, huh?"
SHIZUKU: "It's time for action, the stage is set!"
SETSUNA: "It's the stage of my dreams!"
KASUMI: "One of the biggest school idol events, with idols from all over the country!"
AKI: "That means μ's and Aqours are going to be there, too! You'll be on the same stage as them, it'll be huge!"
EMMA: "μ's and Aqours too? I'm so excited!"
AKI: "The Nijigasaki High School Idol Club is BACK! And BETTER than ever! As your manager I will help you all the way. Let's do our best, everyone!"
EVERYONE: "Yeah!"
That day began our road to the destiny that awaited us.
But allow me to reintroduce myself...
I'm Akihiko Suzuki, The Manager of the Nijigasaki High School Idol Club.